reese



C. A. REESE. DIRECTION INDICATOR. .APPLICATION FILED JAN.29. 1915.

Patented Aug. 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

c. A. REESE. DIRECTION INDICATOR. APPLICATION TILED JAN-29.1915- Patented'Aug. 15,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

the character described that CLA'UD A. REESE, OF BOWLING GREEN, FLORIDA.

DIRECTION-INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 143, 1916.

Application filed January 29,1915. Serial No. 5,061.

To /77 11-71071). it may concern:

lie it known that l, CLAUD Zen of the United States, residing at Bowling (ireen. in the count of De Soto and State of Florida. have invented certain new and useful .lm n'ovements in Direction-indicators; and 1 do hereb) declare the Following to b a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertaius to make and use the same.

My invention relates to signals or direction indicators for automobiles or other vehicles and resides in the provision of a simple and eiiective device that ma) be easily operated by the driver of the vehicle to which it is attached to indicate to other vehicles whether or not a right or let't turn is to be made or the vehicle is to stop.

Another object is to provide a device of is constructed to form a dummy figure including head. body legs and arms, the arms being hinged and arranged to act as semaplmres and each being provided with a light so that the device will operate effectively at night.

Another object is to provide novel means for electrically connecting and hingedly secured the arms of the dummy to the body there-oi. in such manner that the semaphore. like operation of the arms is properly had and an effective signal produced.

Another object is to generally improve and simplify the. construction and" nation of such devices so as to render them more practical, and reliable and eliicient in operation without materially increasing the cost of manufacture thermit.

The above and dditional objects are accomplished by sin means as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. described in the following specification and then more particularly pointed out in the claims.

lVith reference to the drawings, wherein l have. illustrated the preferred emlmdiment of my invention as it is reduced to practice, and throughou-Lthc several views of which similar reterein-e numerals designate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved device showing it as it would appear when ready for attachment to an automobile or like vehicle. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken through my improved device showing the electrical wiring diagram therefor and the operating means for moving the arms into and out of signaling position. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail A. Rnnsn, a citifvcrtical sectional view taken through one of it-he solenoids ot' the operating means. Fig. l is an enlarged detail perspective view of a part of the operating means and the hinge for connecting the a rms to the bodyzshowing a i'ragnientary portion of the arm connected with the operating means therefor, and the light carried by the arm in diagrammatic relation thereto, Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken through the hinge and connecting means, Fig. (3 is a detail top plan View of the slidable contact switch, and Fig. 7 is a longitudinal vertical sectional View taken through the sliding contact switch.

Referring to the drawings by cha actors of reference, 1 designates as an entirety the bod v of my improved device, which body is shaped as a manikin and comprises a hollow body, legs 2, and arms 3 which are also hollow. The arms 3 are hinged to the body. A head is carried by the body and it will thus be seen that the device when placed upon an automobile or like vehicle eithe at -the front or rear Will attract attention and prove effective as a signal. The legs of the figure or body 1 are secured in any suitable manner, not shown, to the vehicle to which the device is to be attached. Electric lamps -.l and 5 are carried at the end of the arms 3 and are provided to make the device effective at nig As a means for hingedl connecting the arms 3 to the body, I provide elongated hinge leaves (3 that are secured by suitable. fastening elements in substantially upright position within the body and 7 cent to the arm-pits thereof.

'ardlv from and carried by the upper ends of the leaves (3 are divergent arms 7 that are provided with rolled ears 8 at their outer ends, which ears are disposed within the arms 2"). liinge. pins 9 are inserted transversely through the arms 3 at the inner end thereof and through the ars 8 and hingedly connect the arms with the body in such man- Extending outner that the arms mav be. moved upwardly and dowm 'ardlv freely.

I provide means for operating the armswhich comprises a pair of solenoid magnets 10. The magnets 10 are placed within the upper parts of the leg portions 2 of the body 1, said leg portions being filled with wax or some other suitable material so as to hold the solenoids 10 in approximately vertical position. i

at a point adja tacting with the contact members 30.

Vertically slidable armatures 11 are carried by the magnets 10. Rods 1: are secured to the inner ends of the arms 3 and'extend into the body 1 to a point over and above the solenoids 10. Links 123 connect the rods 12 with the armatures 11, thus when the solenoids are energized, a downward pull is communicated. to each of the rods 12 by means of the armatures l1 and links ill, and the arms 3 are moved outwardly into approximately horizontal position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

The electrical circuit for the device includes a battery or other suitable source of current 14 that is connected with. sliding contact switches 15 and 16 by means of a conductor 17. Conductors 21 and lead respectively from the switches 15 aml 1b to the solenoids 10 and running from the solenoids 10 upwardly through the body are wires and 24 that connect with the lower ends of the hinged leaves (3. The hinge leaves 6 and cooperating; parts act as conductors and conductors i5 and 2b lead from the hinge leaves (3 to the lamps i and 5 respectively in the ends of the arms 3.

Mounted upon the hinge leaves (5 are con tact plates 27 that are provided with outwardly directed upper ends 28. The contact plates 2? are insulated from the leaves 6 by means of suitable insulation 29. Tubular contact members 30 are llfmlilttd upon the hinge pins between the rolled ears 8 and are engaged by the outwardly directed terminals 28 of the plates 27, said plates "27 being, of spring metal thus positively eon- Suitable insulation material 31 insulates the con tact members 30 from the hinge pins 3). Conductors 32 are connected with the contact members 30 which are rotatably mounted upon the pins 9 with the lamps 4 and 5 and conductors and 3-1 are connected with the plates 27 and with a conductor 90 which connects with the battery 1i.

By operating: the switch 15 the solenoid on the right side of the body and connected with the arm carrying the light 4- willhe :meratwl and can the aunt) to be moved into signaling position and the lamp l to illuminate. When a lel't turn completed the switch in is operated closing the circuit il nl' the lamp and solenoid on the lel't side of the body.

The switches 15 and il' are identical as to construction and it is thought that only one of them need be described. The .-\\'lil'll is best illustrated in l ic's. l3 and 7 ol the drawings. Each f the switches comprises a base plate 35 which is termed with a longitudinal slot Sl'. A fixed contact plate 37 is secured to the under lace oi the base plate at one end thereof and is disposed in 'alinement With and beneath the slot 36. An

insulation strip 8 is interposed between the plate 37 and the plate 35 to insulate the plate 37 from the plate 255. A spring metal contact plate 39 is secured as at 'l() to the outer end of the plate 35 underneath said plate and is insulated therefrom. This contact plate 39 is provided with a downwardly curved free end 40 that is normally spaced from the contact 3?. A slidable push hutton 41 ismounted upon the contact plate 3 and within the slot 36. The push button -ll may be pushed at any point in its sliding extent so as to cause the portion 40 of the plate 39 to contact with the stationary contact plate 257 and is provided with annular flange 4'. that engages under the plate 35 so as to prevent said push button 41 from becoming accidentally deranged. The upper face of the push button is disposed above the plane oi. the plate 35. The plate 35 is bowed centrally of its ends so as to provide an upwardly and inwardly inclined portion 43 and is formed with an offset portion 44.

The switch members 15 and 16 are placed preferably upon the dash board oi the vehicle to which the device is attached and so that they may be operated by the driver of the vehicle. When the push buttons -11 are moved upwardly to the highest point on the base plate 35, the. contact members 39 and 37 are held in engagement with one another and the arm 3 will remain in signaling position. \Vhen it is desired to operate the arms simultaneously, both switches 15 and 16 are operated.

In practice, I have found that the form of my invention, illustrated in the drawings and referred to in the above description, as the preferred embodiment, is the most ellL cient and practical; yet realizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my device will necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize the fact that various minor changes in details oi" construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to. when required, without sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention, as claimed.

What is claimed is 1. in a direction indicator, the combination with a hollow body to be secured to a vehicle oi arms hinged to the body, means to move the arms into and out of signaling position, means to hingedlv secure the arms to the body conngrisinc hinge leaves secured within the body and extending, intov the arms, said arms and body being hollow, cars carried by the portions of the leaves that extend into the arms. hinge pins inserted through the arms and are, an electrical circuit, electric lamps carried at the outer ends ol' the arms and connected in the circuit, and means carried by the hinge leaves and hinge pins to establish electrical connection between the lamps and circuit.

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within said body adjacent said opening, outwardly converging arms secured to said hinge leaves and extending exteriorly of said body, said arms bent to form ears on the outer end thereof, arms'provided within adapted to pass through said ears and hingedly support said arms to the body, illuminating means carried atithe outer end Witnesses! v of each of the arms, an electrical circuit, solenoids mounted within the hollow body and operably connected with the circuit, rods rigidly secured to the arms and extending inwardly into the hollow body and links operably connectedwith the solenoids and-the arms whereby when the solenoids areen'ergized, the arms will be moved into extended position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnessses.

CLAUD A; REESE.

-J. W. SMITH, S. G. Emma. 

